Saturday, October 18, 2008

Big ups to the defense, tough loss to SJSU

People are going to be disappointed about the loss against San Jose State but I just want to point out the play of the defense.

I was at the game for the first quarter and a half and listened to the second half on the radio. Joe Lee Dunn's unit seemed to play inspired football. I said after last week's Nevada game that the group is bringing a fighter's mentality to the table. They don't have the most talent. They aren't the biggest group or the fastest. But they fight for every inch on the field. In my two years in Las Cruces, that seemed like the best defensive effort the team has put forth.

Lets look at the scenarios. The D gave up a touchdown on SJSU's first possession which saw the Spartans return a kick deep into Aggie territory. SJSU scored two defensive touchdowns off interceptions. And Chris Williams muffed a punt that led the a San Jose FG.

Those were the three key plays of the game, both of Chase's picks and Chris' fumble. Williams' play was a backbreaker after the team fought to get back into the game to begin with. Chase's first pick was awful, he threw it in the flat right to the defender. His second was a result of pressure. The Spartans defensive line battered the Aggies throughout.

It was a tough loss but the team needs to beat Idaho. I mean, it has too. There are no gimmes in college football and the Vandals cannot be overlooked.

23 comments:

Anonymous
said...

In my opinion the D only gave up 7 points and maybe not even that. Where was the special teams? Huge kick return to start the game, the D was pinned at their own 35. Then chase gave them another 14. The D held on Chris' fumble to only allow 3. Then again S.T. let them down with the horrible punt of like 20 yards, then the next punt was returned to like the 20. If anyone had been told the D would give up 10, you would've thought blow out win for the Aggs. Great job to JL Dunn and crew.

As for the air raid, it was non existant. Aside from some busted tackles by Chris on that big run the best play of the night was the fake punt. The shovels and screens that Mumme loves havent worked all season. Chase was on his back way too much, and maybe that explains why he looked scared out there. He was sailing balls over guys heads, and the offense NEVER looked in sync. This looked like the air raid from Mumme's 1st year.

If they lose in Moscow, they are luck if they get 5,000 fans for homecoming. Given the two loses at home, they might be lucky to get that even if they win.

The SJSU defensive coordinator should, in large part, be credited with SJSU's win. They let the Aggies dink the short ball all night long. The Aggies, on the other hand, didn't really adjust. For whatever reason, the long ball was not part of the NMSU game plan, which is too bad since we have the one QB in the conference who can best throw it.

To have a good team, one worthy of being a Bowl team, all elements of the game need to be played consistently. The Aggies, at this point, are not a solid team. If you can say, as some have in this blog, that the defense played great against the Spartans, then you know that we were pretty bad in certain aspects to lose 31-14. If we continue to play this badly, we should refuse to go to a bowl, even if we can squeak out 6 victories.

We are, however, consistent in reporting bogus attendance figures. There was no way there was 20,607 people there last night. I actually tried to count the students, and saying that 2,000 were there at their maximum time in residence is probably an overestimate as well.

Finally, I just wonder if any one else noticed that the Aggies just plain quit on themselves and the fans with about 5 and a half minutes to go? Needing two scores at that point, they punted the ball on 4th and 16(this is a team that supposedly makes the sticks on 4th down better than they do on 3rd down). I can't figure out what was going through the coaches' minds at that point. Just go for it on 4th down instead of giving up. It turned out that the punt resulted in another touchdown two plays later for SJSU. Nothing would have been lost by going for it. Some of you might say our defense could have gotten the ball back twice, and we could have scored both times. I say you are wrong, even under the best of conditions.

This game showed just how important the O line is in football. Grady the freshman center got his first start there for Bolin, the senior center. The whole line was banged up and Smith left the game also. It makes a huge difference and it showed as the D line kept getting to Chase and blowing past to stop Colston. I think that if we had a healthy O line and Smith stays in the game, we do a lot better on offense but that wasnt the case. The team did not adjust to that and Chase played what I thought was one of his worst games. Another thing that I did not see as good was that JJ threw another interception. He went in to just get a few plays under his belt and instead threw a pick. The same happened against Alcorn St.

The defense did a great job and for once I wont say anything bad about them because they stopped San Jose on all 4 quarters I thought. San Jose didnt have one of those long drives that we are used to seeing and instead scored on our offensive and special team mistakes.

I just had one comment on the whole pink week and our athletic teams. So if you went to the Vball games you noticed that the only person on the bench who was not wearing pink was Coach Jordan. Boise came out with pink t shirts and we came out with pink wrist bands. Half of the football team had their pink socks either rolled down as much as possible or covered up with another pair of socks. I just think that its sad when the visiting team comes with pink t shirts and plays like that when our own Coach wont show pink and our team only wears minimal pink. Some of the students who rarely attend the games were even confused and cheered for Boise because of the pink shirts until they were notified that that was not us. I guess the guys dont like wearing pink since they are the football players but its not the color that matters but the cause and what it stands for. I was disappointed in both teams for what I thought their lack of understanding of what wearing pink means to the community and to those who have been affected by breast cancer. One little girl at the volleyball game put it best when she told her mom "I thought it was our pink week mommy".

Chase was terrible! Don't blame it all on the O line thought. Chase made bad reads and rushed because he isn't athletic and he can't move. Yes, the O line needs help, but can't you take care of that in RECRUITING? Stop recruiting slow footed run blockers.

Here is what I don't understand. The QB struggles, we have no flow, but the coach never makes a change. Why not use the back up guy who is supposed to be our future to change things up? Maybe he brings some energy and mobility to allow for a better flow. If a basketball player is struggling, a coach will sub and put in a new guy to give him a chance and change things up. Why does Mumme continue to keep Chase in there all the time? Even the "star" struggles at times and needs to watch for a spell.

The defense did ok, when they weren't giving up chunks of yards against their ground game. They did enough to give us a chance to win.

The Air Raid is supposed to score points. They didn't and we lost. End of story.

Better win at Idaho.

One more thing. In sports, a team that is going to play for a title, or a bowl game in this case, HAS to come back off a road win and WIN that next home game. That tells the story of where we are as a program.

Too bad it took a "Pink" thing to attract fans to the stadium. Great cause, but is that the only reason why you fans came?

Scores dont always reflect what happened on the field. Sure I've been terribly unhappy with the defense throughout the season and have never missed a chance to say it. However, if you went to the game then you notice that for an extended period of time the scoreboard still read 21. And out of those twenty one points only seven were allowed by our defense and even then special teams played a big role. The other two were picks returned for touchdowns. Chris Williams muffs a punt and our defense held them for a field goal in the red zone. The last touchdown was also in good field position. So just how horrible was our defense if there was no sustained drive from them but rather got their points from offensive and special team mistakes? Maybe you should stick to just trying to count students for your attendance figures...

Once again, the Aggies fell short in a agame they could have won. From where I sit, i couldn't really tell whether the offense played badly, or whether it was just that SJSU's defense was really good. The offensive line couldn't contain the SJSU defensive line and linebackers, so the Aggies quarterback never had a chance to wait for a receiver to open up for the long ball.

The Aggie defense played a lot better than I have seen them play in a long time. It is too bad that SJSU was able to score so many points off of turnovers.

This Saturday's game at Idaho looks very winnable. as do LT and USU. We need to win those and at least one more game to ahve a reasonable chance at the postseason. It has been 48 years, so let's all pull together to see if we can't get that chance.

See you in Moscow, anyone? If not, plan to be at Aggie Memorial on the first for Boise. That should be a chance to see something exciting - either a good game or a blowout.

The defense played probably their best game in a long time. Sucks that the offense gave up more points than the defense did. The offense was a serious problem but the season is not over yet. We will beat Idaho and will lose to Boise and be 4-4 in two weeks. 6 wins and a bowl bid is still a good possibility. I don't want to see people trashing the coaches or players or anything after the Boise loss. They will lose that game no matter what anyway doesn't matter who is injured or if they have the game of their lives they have no chance to beat Boise.

To the person who says the Aggies should reject a bowl invitation at 6-6 because of a disappointing loss you are no Aggie fan. When you haven't gone to a bowl game in 48 years you will take any opportunity to go. When they do get that bowl bid at 6-6 you can just stay home and the rest of us will be in Albuquerque.

I agree w/Teddy. The difference in the game was the two interceptions returned for TDs and the FG after Willams' muffed punt. Hat's off to the D...too bad the offense and special teams didn't make any significant contributions. Heck, Mumme should have let special teams run the offense after the fake punt. The Ags should go into Idaho and win big, but you never know with Mumme's teams. The Vandals put up a fight against Fresno St. a couple of weeks ago, so the Aggies shouldn't take Idaho lightly.

Of the six games remaining, I'd say we have good chances winning the following games: Idaho, Hawaii, LA Tech, and Utah St. Boise St. will be a tough home game, and Fresno St. will be a hard challenge on the road. Call me a bit optimistic, but I see the Aggies finishing 7-5 overall, 5-3 in conference.

Agree, a VERY disappointing loss. But the D did play their best game of the season. I wonder how much of that is due to SJSU's inept offense? I'm sure it was a factor, but we still have to give the D a little credit. This game goes to show how much more important a good defense is than a good offense. SJSU's defense was clearly the best unit on the field, and they were well coached to stuff Mumme's Air Raid offense.

What makes the loss even more dissapointing is the lost revenue from future home games this season. Wish it wasn't that way, but it is. Win, and they will come.-Aggie Glare

The story that the WAC has a contingency tie in with the Pointsettia Bowl should be a cause for celebration in Aggieland! That probably doubled the Aggies chances of getting a bowl bid this year.

It is extremely unlikely that the PAC-10 will have 7 bowl eligible teams to meet their tie ins, so the WAC has another crack at it. WSU are mathematically out of it, and UW is just about out. No more than one of the 4 loss teams is likely to be bowl eligible (Stanford, UCLA, or ASU). So 5 or 6 PAC-10 teams will be eligible.

Under NCAA rules, it gets interesting. Since the pointsettia tie in was not in place before the season starts, 6 and 6 won't get a WAC team in there without a specific exwmption from the NCAA. However, a 7 and 5 WAC team can get in, leaving a bowl with an existing tie in(NM Bowl) to pick a 6 and 6 team if there aren't other WAC teams with a 7 and 5 record.

I predict that if Boise makes it into a BCS game, at least one WAC team with a 6 and 6 record gets a bowl bid. Yes, Hawaii and NMSU are the two potential big winners from this.

So, every game is important to the Aggies at this point. Let's give them the support they need.

Now NMSU has to get bowl eligible at 6-6.I know theres gong to be people that say, why take a 6-6 team over a 7-5 team, right?

Heres the deal, Bowls look into logistics and how well teams will travel.The NM Bowl will take NMSU over any other school in the WAC. Even if it's only 15,000 NMSU fans. The 10,000 NM Bowl ticket holders and 5,000 Mountain West fans will make up the difference.

Another thing to consider is that, this is the last year of the NM Bowl and may not get re-newed next year. The time is NOW!

Is anyone else getting tired of the injury and talent excuse? All teams have injuries, he had 4 years to work up the talent, and yet we still get the same ol' same ol' excuses. Yeah, and I guess no other D1A team has those issues...

Go check out other boards..not just WAC either...they are all having the same injury problems. It's mid season injuries will become a factor not just at NMSU. Study the facts before throwing your bashing out there.

WE should all be tired of Mumme and him always playing the "Injury Card" about this time of year. Some of that problem is how soft of a practice he runs. Those kids don't every get used to being hit at close to game speed. They get in the game, the speed picks up, the O Line struggles and our offensive skill guys get hit. The defense has that same problem because they arent conditioned to hit and hold on for the tackle. Mumme might want to go watch some Pop Warner football practices and watch those kids tackling, blocking and playing the game. I know, I know, but this is college and you have to keep your people healthy. Well, are our guys staying healthy? NO and its all taking place in the games because we aren't ready for it.

When will Boston come out and slap Mummer on the wrist for using the "Injury Card"? When he was talking bad about our baseball coach (Rocky Ward)he talked about how Rocky couldn't use the "Injury Card" when his top three pitchers went out for the year. I remember Bostons quote of; "injuries are part of sports and it happens to all teams so we can't fall back on that."

We'll beat Idaho in an ugly game. If we blow them out, well, we should. They have a 2nd year coach still trying to put things together. After that, don't any of you count any game as a win just yet.

The defense is doing their part, so come on Air Raid, get with it and score points.

I don't know how much the injuries are going to hurt the Aggies at Idaho. I don't particularly see comments about injuries and talent as excuses. They are what they are.

However, I do understand that when the talent pool is limited, injuries tend to make a bigger impact. The drop off to the back up is often much greater. NMSU has a real challenge in recruiting. It is far away from most large population areas, and it is in a small metropolitn area. (Is there anyone out there that remembers when the census bureau changed the criteria for an SMSA, Las Cruces had a special census so they could qualify under the old rules and be grandfathered in as an SMSA?)

The point is, it is hard to recruit here. But, if we are to compete on a national scene, we have to find ways to do that. It falls on the head coach, but the AD, other administrators, the student body, the community, alumni all have a role. Support is necessary. If a recruit sees a half empty stadium, what conclusions do you think he will draw? If a recruit fails to hear the fans involved and making noise, what conclusions do you think he will draw? Athletic officials need to be proactive in promoting attendance, students, alumni and community members need to get involved. It helps.

We are on the verge of moving to the next level. Every little bit makes a difference.

Bowl talk still year after year? You've gotta be kidding?! We've done nothing during the Mumme years to warrant even bowl consideration. We are not a well-coached team. Until that changes, New Mexico State will not have a winning program. Big schools with a long-standing tradition of football excellence can get away with poor coaching for a while because the talent continues to pour in. We are not so fortunate. Therefore, as I pointed out last year about this time in the season, coaching does matter...look at any number of "low-talent" "injury-ridden" teams across the country and take note of their winning records thus far in the season. So please, instead of discounting the reality of what coach Mumme has neglected to bring to our team and continuing the "bowl" talk, look reality square in the eyes and call it as it is versus how you wish it to be.

Ok, so the coach (Mumme) who got a contract extension for losing, now gets to use the "Injury" excuse? I remember Dr. Boston coming down on Rocky Ward (baseball) for saying all his pitchers were out for the year because of injuries in a newspaper article in this paper. Boston stated that he couldn't hide behind the injuries because it happens all over college athletics. So its ok for Mumme to use it now? He comes back to that every year. Of course its a part of the sport of football, which is why you need to recruit some depth, give those back ups a few reps in a "GAME" now and then and get them all ready. And yes, that does include QB too. We should all be tired of Mumme looking to use the injury excuse again.